Encyclopedia articles / Dictionary entries

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'Abdu'l-Bahá, by Moojan Momen (1995). On Abdu'l-Baha, eldest son of Baha'u'llah and successor to him as leader of the Bahá'í Faith, known as the authoritative expounder and perfect exemplar of the Bahá'í teachings and as the Center of Bahá'u'lláh's Covenant. [about]

'Abdu'l-Bahá 'Abbás, by Firuz Kazemzadeh, in The Bahá'í Encyclopedia (2009). On the eldest son and appointed successor of Bahá’u’lláh, the Center of His Covenant, and the Head of the Bahá’í Faith from 1892 to 1921, regarded, along with the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh, as one of the Central Figures of the Bahá’í Faith. [about]

Administration, Bahá'í, by Glenford Mitchell, in The Bahá'í Encyclopedia (2009). On the international system governing the affairs of the Bahá’í Faith; a framework based on elected councils that hold legislative, executive, and judicial authority and on appointed individuals whose role is to protect and advise. [about]

Alavíyyih Khánum and 'Alí Ján, Mullá, by Mehraeen Mottahedin-Mavaddat and Moojan Momen, in The Bahá'í Encyclopedia (2009). On the couple, both distinguished Iranian teachers of the Bahá’í Faith; Mullá ‘Alí Ján was executed for his faith. [about]

America is a Multifaith Nation, by Christopher Buck, in World Religions: Belief, Culture, and Controversy (2012). While the United States was once a "Christian" nation, it is now a multi-faith one. Includes short overview of American religious history, and statistics of church membership. [about]

Aqasi, Haji Mirza ('Abbas Iravani), by Sholeh A. Quinn, in The Bahá'í Encyclopedia (2009). On the prime minister of Iran under Muhammad Shah Qajar from 1835 to 1848, regarded by Bahá’ís as the Antichrist of the Bábí dispensation. [about]

Augur, George Jacob, by Duane Troxel, in The Bahá'í Encyclopedia (2009). On the American doctor who became one of the early Bahá’ís of Hawaii and was the first resident Bahá’í in Japan, designated by Shoghi Effendi a Disciple of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. [about]

Babi, by Vladimir Minorsky, in Chamber's Encyclopaedia (1950). Encyclopedia entry, the draft of which was found in Minorsky's archive, along with three pages of typed "errata" possibly written by H. M. Balyuzi on behalf of a Baha'i institution. [about]

Bahá'í, by Michael Karlberg, in Encyclopedia of Sustainability, Vol. 1: The Spirit of Sustainability (2009). Bahá’ís recognize nature as an expression of God’s will, view science and religion as complementary approaches to truth, and pursue processes of individual and community development that promote unity, social justice, and ecological sustainability. [about]

Baha'i Faith and the Environment, The, by Richard Landau, in Encyclopedia of Global Environmental Change volume 5: Social and Economic Dimensions of Global Environmental Change, ed. Peter Timmerman (2002). Participation of the Baha'i International Community in UN-sponsored development and environmental initiatives for resolving the difficult challenges before humanity. [about]

Baha'i Faith: A Portrait, by Robert Stockman, in A SourceBook for Earth's Community of Religions, ed. Joel Beversluis (1995). General introduction to Baha'i history and teachings. [about]

Bahá'í History, by Moojan Momen and Peter Smith (1993). A general survey of the history of the Baha'i Faith, including a brief overview of main events in Babi and Baha'i history. Next, a series of themes that have developed throughout Baha'i history is examined. [about]

Bahá'í World Centre, by Moojan Momen, in The Bahá'í Encyclopedia (2009). On the spiritual center of the Bahá’í Faith, established in the twin cities of Acre and Haifa, the focal points of devotion for Bahá’ís around the world, and edifices of the administrative center. [about]

Baha'is, by Christopher Buck, in Encyclopedia of the Qur'an (2016). [about]

Bahá'ís, by Christopher Buck, in Encyclopaedia of the Qur'an, Vol. 1, A-D (2001). The Baha'i Faith's continuities and discontinuities with Islam. This is the only Baha'i-related article in The Encyclopaedia of the Qur’an.[about]

Baker, Euphemia Eleanor, by Graham Hassall, in Australian Dictionary of Biography Volume 14: 1940-1980, ed. John Ritchie (1996). Short biography of an early Australian Baha'i. [about]

Baker, Richard Edward St. Barbe, by Wendi Momen and Anthony A. Voykovic, in The Bahá'í Encyclopedia (2009). On the world-famous environmentalist, founder in 1922 of Men of the Trees, the first global conservation movement, author of many books and articles. [about]

Chase, Thornton, by Robert Stockman, in The Bahá'í Encyclopedia (2009). On the first person in the West to become a steadfast Bahá’í, one of the founders of the Chicago Bahá’í community, included by Shoghi Effendi among a number of prominent early Bahá’ís he designated "Disciples of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá." [about]

Children, by Nancy A. Davis, in The Bahá'í Encyclopedia (2009). On persons in the stages of life from conception, when the soul comes into being, to the age of fifteen, the beginning of spiritual maturity or adulthood. [about]

Deganawida, the Peacemaker, by Christopher Buck, in American Writers: A Collection of Literary Biographies, 26 (2015). Biography of the Iroquois / Haudenosaunee prophet-like figure who lived around 600 or 900 years ago. [about]

Discourse Theory and Peace, by Michael Karlberg, in Encyclopedia of Peace Psychology, ed. Daniel Christie (2012). Discourse theory, which rests on the idea that language helps constitute our reality, can shed light on the role that language plays in both direct and structural violence. No mention of the Baha'i Faith. [about]

Discovering [The Qur'an], by Christopher Buck, in The Blackwell Companion to the Qur'an, ed. Andrew Rippin (2006). Academic study of the Qur'an, its themes, and how to begin interpreting it. [about]

Dunn, Clara and John Henry Hyde, by Graham Hassall, in The Bahá'í Encyclopedia (2009). On the couple who went to Australia in 1920 in response to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s call for worldwide expansion of the Bahá’í Faith and firmly established it in the Antipodes, designated Hands of the Cause of God by Shoghi Effendi. [about]

Gregory, Louis George, by Gayle Morrison, in The Bahá'í Encyclopedia (2009). On the African American lawyer who became a leading Bahá’í speaker, writer, administrator, and proponent of race unity and equality, member of the national governing body of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada, and Hand of the Cause. [about]

Grinévskaia, Izabélla Arkád'evna, by A. Grachëva, in Dictionary of Russian Women Writters (1994). Short bio of a poet and playwright who wrote a social drama Bab ed-Din (1903), dedicated to the life and teachings of The Bab — a play she considered "her most significant dramatic work" — and its sequel Bekha-Ulla (1912). [about]

Hands of the Cause (Ayádí Amr Alláh), by Eunice Braun, in The Bahá'í Encyclopedia (2009). On the institution, established by Bahá’u’lláh, of individuals named by Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and Shoghi Effendi, charged with protecting and propagating the Bahá’í Faith; one of the two parallel lines of responsibility in Bahá’í administration. [about]

Introduction to the Bahá'í Tradition, in On Common Ground: World Religions in America (1997). Brief overview of The Bab and Baha'u'llah; worldwide expansion; affirming oneness; feast and fireside; human equality; and becoming a Baha'i. [about]

Martyrdom, by Todd Lawson, in Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World: Oxford Islamic Studies Online (2008). Overview of the history of and sacred texts about martyrdom in Islam, with a passing mention of the Baha'i Faith. [about]

Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, by Julie Badiee, in The Bahá'í Encyclopedia (2009). On the "Dawning Place of the Praise of God," a term used to refer to a Bahá’í House of Worship and its surrounding dependencies. [about]

Mazhar [Manifestation], by Denis MacEoin, in Encyclopedia of Islam, 2nd ed., vol. 6 (1960). Definition of a type of theophany in which the divinity or its attributes are made visible in human form. [about]

Medhat Pasha, by Necati Alkan, in Encyclopaedia Iranica (2012). Bio of the 19th century Ottoman statesman, who served both as governor and grand vizier. Brief excerpt, with link to article offsite. [about]

Naw-Rúz: The Bahá'í New Year, by John Walbridge, in Sacred Acts, Sacred Space, Sacred Time (1996). History of the observance of Naw Ruz, the Iranian New Year, in Persian culture and the Baha'i Faith. [about]

Prayer and Worship, by John Walbridge, in Sacred Acts, Sacred Space, Sacred Time (1996). An overview of devotional practices and prayers in Babism and the Baha'i Faith. [about]

Prejudice and Discrimination, by Will C. van den Hoonaard (1993). Prejudice is cultural. History shows no society is immune. U.S. Baha'is facilitated Racial Amity groups in the 20s and 30s, and found ignorance plus apathy are key factors in prejudice. Reducing it requires a universal commitment to the unity of humanity. [about]

Ransom-Kehler, Keith Bean, by Janet Ruhe-Schoen, in The Bahá'í Encyclopedia (2009). On the American Bahá’í lecturer and world traveler, designated by Shoghi Effendi as the first American Bahá’í martyr, and a Hand of the Cause of God, the first woman to be so named. [about]

Registry of Early Canadian Believers, by Will C. van den Hoonaard (1987). A report on the recent progress in developing the Registry of Early Canadian Believers, 1893-1944, an adjunct project of A Short Encyclopedia
of the Bahá'í Faith.[about]

Religions Share Enduring Values, by Christopher Buck, in World Religions: Belief, Culture, and Controversy (2011). Do all religions ultimately endorse the same spiritual values? Includes discussion of the "Golden Rule" and interfaith alliances. [about]

Resurgence of Apocalyptic in Modern Islam, by Abbas Amanat, in The Encyclopedia of Apocalypticism, vol. III: Apocalypticism in the Modern Period and the Contemporary Age (2000). Shi'i Mahdism, beliefs on the end of time, and overview of the rise of the Babi Faith. [about]

Ridvan, by John Walbridge, in Sacred Acts, Sacred Space, Sacred Time: Bahá'í Studies volume 1 (1995). Two versions of a short article about the 12-day Baha'i festival. [about]

Robert Hayden, by Christopher Buck, in Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature, Vol. 2, ed. Jay Parini (2004). The first African American poet-laureate of the United States (as Library of Congress "Consultant in Poetry"). [about]

Schopflocher, Siegfried, by Will C. van den Hoonaard, in The Bahá'í Encyclopedia (2009). On the Canadian Bahá’í of German-Jewish background named by Shoghi Effendi a Hand of the Cause of God in 1952. [about]

Schopflocher, Siegfried, by Will C. van den Hoonaard (1993). Short biography of a prominent Baha''i from a German-Jewish background who served as a Hand of the Cause of God. [about]

Shoghi Effendi and Social Justice, by Jack McLean, in Berkshire Encyclopedia of Religion and Social Justice (2007). The term "social justice” has been used by many engaged groups as a rhetorical tool to obtain more equitable transformations of the social order. To the Guardian and the later Baha'i Administration, it is a Divine justice at heart. [about]

Tehran, Iran, by Moojan Momen, in The Bahá'í Encyclopedia (2009). On the capital city of Iran and birthplace of Bahá’u’lláh, called by Him the "Land of Tá" (Ard-i-Tá), site of numerous important events in Bahá’í history. [about]

Yahyá, Mírzá, by Moojan Momen, in The Bahá'í Encyclopedia (2009). On the younger half-brother of Bahá’u’lláh, later his opponent, known as Subh-i-Azal, described by Shoghi Effendi as "the arch-breaker of the Covenant of the Báb." [about]

Zaynab, by John Walbridge, in Military Women Worldwide: A Biographical Dictionary (2003). Brief biography of a female Babi fighter. [about]